Tag Archives: Fabric Place Basement

The long cardigan was a new style for me until the beginning of the year when I bought one at TJ Maxx. I wasn’t sure about the look, but I was curious and wanted to try it. I told myself I would test it out, and I really liked it! Then I saw this look and found McCall’s 7476. It was time to MAKE one of my own.

The only problem was that the super long version I wanted (View E, but without the shawl collar) called for A LOT of fabric.

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I knew that if I was going to make this, I would have to find a good deal on material. One of my favorite places to look for such deals in person, rather than online, is at Fabric Place Basement in Natick, MA. It’s not exactly nearby, but if I’m really efficient with my time and focused when I’m there, I can do it on a weekday.

I went with my list and my budget and my ideas and, providentially, there was a sale on wool. The fabric I found for the cardigan was a wool/acrylic rib knit, so it was affordable with the discount. I don’t normally like rib knits, but being able to see and feel this one in person convinced me that it could work for my cardigan.

On to the project! I washed and dried a fabric swatch (I think it was 4″ x 4″) to see how much shrinkage would happen. Despite the warm temperature I used, there really wasn’t any shrinkage. So, I put the rest of my fabric in the washer and dryer. The only downside to this fabric is that it’s a hair magnet, but at least it doesn’t shrink!

I cut my pattern out on the floor after cleaning it as well as I could so the fabric didn’t get dirty. I cut a large for the bust and waist and an extra large for the hip, leaving off the shawl collar. This was also my first time using knit interfacing. It went well, and I like the feel of it in the finished garment.

Except for the unwieldiness of the project due to its length, this wasn’t hard. I tried using Coats & Clark’s new Eloflex thread, which is slightly stretchy and made for knits.

After awhile, I switched from Eloflex as my top thread and in my bobbin to Eloflex in just the top and wooly nylon in the bottom. It seemed like my machine didn’t like something that I was doing, and for some reason, that configuration seemed to do the trick. I still used a zigzag stitch and all the other things I do for sewing with knits (walking foot, lighter presser foot pressure, jersey needle), but just changed up that top thread from my usual all-purpose Gutermann to Eloflex. We’ll see how it holds up. No complaints so far, but I also haven’t used it enough to say if I love it or not.

The other thing I tried out on this garment was Steam-A-Seam 2 (the 1/4″ one). I’ve had this for a while, but haven’t really used it. It’s a lightly tacky double-stick tape that you then use to fuse your fabric together with an iron when it’s positioned. I used it to help me hem and for my pockets as an extra stabilizer. It says it creates a permanent bond when ironed, but I still sewed my hems and pockets where I applied it. Why did it take me so long to use this?!

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After wearing the cardigan a few times, I wonder if I need to shorten it just a bit. The hem is about an inch off the ground. (For reference, I’m 5′ 8.5″.) It doesn’t pick up as much dirt as you might expect, but I’m always worried it will drag. I was hoping I could just fold the hem up one more time, but when I tried pinning it, I realized that my hem was slightly uneven, and simply folding it up really exacerbated that. Maybe it’s time to use my new-to-me hem marker if it will go down that far.

I really, really like this cardigan. I know it’s a different look and it’s a lot of black for me, but it’s so cozy and warm (guys, it’s basically a blanket or a robe). I like how it looks with jeans or overalls, and it’s great to have something so long and dramatic–something so different from most of the rest of my wardrobe. I would definitely make this again.

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Recommendations

While reading the Wednesday Weekly from Helen’s Closet, I saw that Sewrendipity is creating a hub for local fabric shopping guides. You can see if she’s linked to one near you, or submit your own. It’s a great idea.

Indie Sew wrote a great article on fabric weight, how to determine fabric weight, and why it’s important.

After the dirndl project that I undertook earlier this fall, I wanted to make sure that I had some quick, easy projects in my next project batch. As we were going into cooler temperatures, I started to think that a few knit sewing projects were in order.

One of the new things I want to incorporate more into my wardrobe is leggings (even though I’m not wearing them in these pictures) which, whether or not you think they count as pants, definitely count as secret pajamas. However, I also don’t want my hind end exposed, which means I need longer t-shirts. I’ve tried the Briar Tee from Megan Nielson Patterns, which I like, but it’s not quite as long as I want and I think something is off for me in the shoulder area. I really like the concept, however, and so I thought I would give Vogue 9055 a try.

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I found the coziest sweatshirt-like knit fabric at Fabric Place Basement in Natick, MA that seemed perfect. It’s 80% cotton and 20% polyester. This pattern and fabric combination ticked most of my boxes: cozy, secret pajamas, like a warm hug, long and butt-covering. The only thing it was missing was real color. While gray is a cozy color, it also kind of depresses me. Sorry, gray lovers. I live in a land of gray winters (as you can see from these pictures) and I need color. So I bought bling to spice it up. 🙂

While in my mind this project was going to take me, like, two seconds (which never actually happens, but it’s still possible to delude myself), it didn’t. I made the shirt, minus hems, and then I looked at it… The hips were too wide, and actually it looked a bit big on top, too. The neckband wasn’t tight enough, so it was flopping forward. What the heck?! Also, why have I not mastered knit neckbands after all this time?!

So I took a step back and started working on one issue at a time. I took the extra off the hips that I had added previously, and that made a big difference. I decided not to hem the sleeves or body of the shirt because I like the unhemmed shirt length and the look of it unhemmed. I could probably trim an inch off the sleeves…but I just don’t want to. As for the neckband, I cut it off and stay stitched again, but it wasn’t great without some sort of band. So I asked someone who knew more than me (always a good choice!). She told me I needed to make the band shorter, and she did all my calculations for me, making the neckband 15% smaller than the opening of my neck hole (thanks, Stacy!!!). When I recut the piece and sewed it on, it was SO MUCH BETTER. I still need practice to get knit neckbands perfect, but this was a serious improvement.

I know lots of people are down on the amount of ease in Big 4 patterns. I’m the opposite. I usually love the amount of ease they include, since I’m not a fan of super-fitted clothing, but I think in this fabric, I could have gone down one size from my measurements. On the plus side, it’s the ultimate in comfort.

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As for the sparkly decorations I bought for my shirt, there really isn’t a lot of space to put them on. So I don’t know. What would you do? Keep the sweatshirt plain or add details or decorations of some kind? For now, it’s plain, because I just wanted to wear it, and it really is as cozy as it looks. I’m open to ideas for jazzing it up, however. Leave your ideas in the comments!

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The only thing that is out of the ordinary in this project is that I tried a new product: the new Eloflex thread from Coats & Clark. I haven’t used it enough to have a firm opinion on it, but it seems good so far. It’s not elastic thread, but it does have a bit of stretch in it. You can’t really tell if you hold a small amount between your fingers, but if you hold about a foot of it and pull, you’ll feel more stretch than in standard polyester thread. Normally I would use all-purpose Gutermann polyester thread for my knits, maybe with woolly nylon in the bobbin. For this shirt I used Eloflex in the top and in the bobbin. Now we’ll see how it holds up to wear and tear. I’m definitely excited to experiment with it.

Recommendations

Check out these cool seam rippers from Bias Bespoke on Etsy. This one is a travel seam ripper with a flip-down lid, and this one has a seam ripper on one side and tweezers on the other. Smart design!

My awesome parents now scout out fabric stores for me (my mom is also a quilter, but they look for me now, too). They discovered Fabrications in Richland, MI. If you are looking for wool knits, Fabrications has a number of them, including some marked “machine washable”. I spent a lot of time on their website picking out swatches so I could give some a try, courtesy of my parents. Thanks, Mom and Dad! I’m excited!

Sometimes I struggle with anxiety (especially the last few winters), so this winter I’m trying out The Happy Light to see if light therapy helps. As one doctor said, even if it’s psychosomatic, if it helps, it’s worth it. So far I really like it. We’ll see how the whole winter shapes up, but even if it doesn’t help with anxiety, it makes a great little work light.

Here’s what happens when you use Google Translate to take a song out of its original language and then translate it back. 🙂

It’s late summer here, and I think it’s time I introduced you to my most-worn shorts of the season. This year I finally realized that the shorts I’ve been making myself are kind of…well, short. This may have been obvious to everyone around me, but it really wasn’t obvious to me until I realized that I wanted some longer shorts and only had one pair that I had thrifted. But I know how to sew, so that’s a problem I can fix! 😀

Enter what is quickly becoming a favorite pattern not only for my husband (see versions one and two of his cargo pants from this pattern), but also for me (my pants version is here): Thread Theory’s Jutland Pants pattern.

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My husband loves this pattern because he loves cargo pants, but I love this pattern because, for some reason, it fits me! It doesn’t fit me to the sewing world standard of “perfect fit”. It fits me in the way women would want a pair of men’s jeans to fit for that authentic “boyfriend jeans” look or in the way that you want a pair of work pants to fit.

This summer, I dreamed of a pair of long cutoffs that weren’t tight, but were loose and comfortable. More and more, I realize that I want my summer clothes to be loose and breezy, and my winter clothes to feel like a warm hug. 😉

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Before our trip out to visit family earlier in the summer, I cut these jeans out of a non-stretch denim that I bought at Fabric Place Basement, and flew through the sewing! I wanted these done FAST, so I didn’t do much extra top-stitching or any seam finishes beyond zigzagging my seam allowances. I didn’t even hem them, because I wanted them to look like cutoffs. I figured that I was making them secure enough to last, but if they showed some fraying and wear and tear, they would have even more of that authentic look. And let me just say, I LOVE these shorts. In fact, I have to hold myself back from wearing them every day.

The only thing I did differently from my pants version (besides the length) was to use the actual Jutland Pants back pockets rather than the back pockets from the Ginger Jeans. I knew that the Jutland Pants back pockets were bigger and more square, but I just wanted to try them to see if I would like them. And I do!

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Another thing I like about these shorts is that you can wear them long or roll them up one or two times, giving you some different options. I probably wear them rolled up twice most often, but I really like all the different lengths I can achieve. Now I’m beginning to wonder if they would look good in canvas and if I have enough left over from other Jutland pants I’ve made…

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That might be a job for next summer, though.

Recommendations

After going to New Hampshire’s White Mountains, I would definitely recommend them! Now I want to go back and go camping! (You can see my last post for some pictures of our trip.)

I just finished listening to the audio version of Willpower: Rediscovering the Greatest Human Strengthby Roy Baumeister and John Tierney. It was a really fascinating psychological look at what willpower is and how you can cultivate it in your life. I think I need to go back and listen through it again.

Devon Iott (@missmake on Instagram) does it again! I’ve got her version of Style Arc’s Josie Hoodie in my head, and now I want to make my own!

This video is a little longer than what I usually post, but it was interesting to learn about the “Pros & Cons of Common Fabrics” both for everyday and as far as environmental impact. I definitely learned some things!